Embroidered transfers are generally made by stitching a pattern with different colored threads onto a substrate. Each time the color of the threads is changed, the apparatus must be shut down. The shut down time when changing from one color thread to another is generally approximately 45 minutes. When an embroidered transfer is comprised of a large number of colors such as five or six colors, it would be appreciated that the apparatus downtime takes several hours.
Printing from a paper strip onto fabric is well known. The details with respect to printing with a dye stuff on fabric are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,911,280 and the disclosure therein is incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,214 discloses a process for compressing material to form embossments and then a dye stuff is printed on the uncompressed portions which project through a stencil. U.S. Pat. 3,874,846 teaches contact printing on both faces of grey goods and then embossing the fabric web to provide a surface texture compatible with the pattern. While each of said patents teaches printing of a dye stuff on a fabric, none of said patents teaches the advantages and unexpected features of the present invention wherein the fabric being printed is a pattern embroidered with white thread in a manner so that a portion of the pattern is sculptured.